Ryoga Saotome
Ryoga Saotome 'is Captain of the Second Division, Commander of the Onmitsukidō, Corp Commander of the Executive Militia, and the fastest Shinigami in all of Soul Society to date. Ryoga has banned himself from using his Shikai, and Bankai unless it is a must for him to use it. 'Appearance[http://thesoulsociety.wikia.com/index.php?title=Asura_Mishima&action=edit&section=1 ' '] Captain Saotome Ryoga looks like something straight out of a human modeling catalog. He stands at six feet two inches with blond, mussed up hair and dull blue eyes. His body is extremely well toned without being overbearing, unattractive, or brutish in any way, shape, or form. Those who knew him before his twin brother died spread tales of how flawless he used to look. His hair was always combed and kept, his cheeks never bore facial stubble, and his blue eyes were the brightest in Soul Society. Ryoga could still be considered one of the most attractive men in the Gotei 13, but in a more common, worn way. His hair is never kept and his face is never without a five o'clock shadow of dirty-blond stubble. A feature that sets his looks apart even more is his emotionally tide-locked face. There is an obvious pain behind his eyes; a broken spirit that doesn't seem to be healing. It's this look of ambivalence that truly sets him apart from others in his station. Like many Captains before him, Ryoga heavily modified his uniform to better fit his personal sense of style and his powerful skills in Hakuda. The outer, white haori is sleeveless and just long enough in the back to reach his hips, making it look more like a loose vest than anything else. His black uniform is sleeveless as well. Ryoga's unclothed arms are bandaged in white gauze from the tips of his fingers to the middle of his biceps - a style that gives a window into his hand-to-hand method of combat. His lower garments are tighter that most other Shinigami to prevent excess cloth getting in the way of his movements. Where most would wear sandals or other footwear, Ryoga has wrapped his feet in the same white gauze that surrounds his toned arms. Personality Ryoga is a well outgoing person. At times he can be very lazy. He does not like to take crap from others, nor does he like to hear about people picking on the 'weak' ones. Overall Ryoga is a pretty laid back person. He likes women, card playing, and drinking. Thinking about his past actions gives him his motivation to strive forward. History Ryoga was born in North Rukongai. Both of his parents were Shinigamis. Ryoga lived a pretty decent life until his father became a alcoholic, to the point were it was not controllable. His parents would constantly get into arguments. At some points it even became physical abuse. Ryoga would usually be in his room while this goes on. Sometimes the physical abuse done to his mother would even be done in front of him. Ryoga would always try to stop them, but he'd always gets tossed aside. At that point Ryoga became really fusterated, and wanted to give up. His mother understands how he feels, but she can not do much to avoid it. As the years passed Ryoga tried to deal with the constant arguing, and abuse. One day Ryoga walked in and that his father broke his mothers arm, and was about to do more. His father had the intent to kill her at that point. Ryoga was enraged, and screamed loudly. That moment, Ryoga had awaken his Zanpakutou. A immense burst of reiatsu could be felt by most people who were in the area at the time. Ryoga Zanpakutou turned into its shikai state. Ryoga charged at his father and slashed at him. His father is unable to use his left arm due to Ryogas shikai ability that allows striking ones 'soul'. That day Ryoga's mother had die. It was later founded out that she had died due to Ryoga's burst of reiatsu that came from his Zanpakutou. His Father left, leaving Ryoga by himself. Ryoga swore to never use his shikai unless he had no choice what so ever. He also blames his father for the death of his mother, and plans to confront him eventually. Later on in the years, Ryoga had enrolled into the Shinigami Academy. There he progressed, and vowed to be a leader. At a young age he had noticeable talent, enough talent to surpass the students at his age level. He was also part of the executive militia. He trained, and trained. Eventually all of it payed off. He was taken in to the second division, and made Lieutenant. Outside of the Gotei 13, Ryoga lived by himself. After sometime Ryoga was promoted to second division captain. This was complelty unexpected, as Ryoga thought he was far incapable of taking on a captains role. He proved to be worthy, and capable of leadership. He was also offered the positions of Commander of the Onmitsukidō, Corp Commander of the Executive Militia which he gladly accepted. As time flew by, Ryoga was one of the few Senior Captains. He was far above the average captains level. As being a Senior Captain, Ryoga rarely goes into combat. Even then, Ryoga still refuses to release his Shikai unless he has to. Powers and Abilities Hakuda Master: Ryoga as Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō is one of the most accomplished hand-to hand combatants in Soul Society. His mastery of the art form is so great that he rather use it instead of using his Zanpakuto. Massive Spiritual Power: As the Captain of the 2nd Division, he boasts a great amount of spiritual energy. His energy is intense enough to make opponents also with high levels of energy sweat in fear. When releasing his spiritual pressure, it can cause a shockwave strong enough to affect a considerable radius. Master Assassin: As the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Ryoga is one of the foremost masters in the art of assassination. He is known to be skillful in staying hidden. Using Shunpo, He has disabled the opponents without them being able to see him. He has studied all the disciplines of the punishment force since he was a child, including poison. Because of this, over the years he has developed a resistance to nearly every poison there is. Shunpo Master: As the leader of the Onmitsukidō, he is also required to be highly proficient in Shunpo. He actively uses hir mastery of Shunpo techniques and is highly proficient in evasion in close quarters as well as from a distance. Thus making hitting him almost impossible if not for the most advanced combatant. His movements are noticeably so fast that few would be likely to see an attack take place. Ryoga is the fastest shiniagmi in Soul Society. Enhanced Strength: Ryoga is quite strong in his Shinigami form; Ryoga has shown the strength of a concentrated blow from him is highly destructive. Enhanced Endurance: Despite his own admission of proclaiming to be out of shape, Ryoga has shown to be a very resilient warrior. Enhanced Speed: Ryoga has demonstrated tremendous speed and reflexes in battle. Even when caught by surprise from an enemy's attack, he is shown able to react in time to skillfully dodge or counter the assault. Offensively, he is shown able to keep up quick and rapid assault that forces most opponents on the defense as he leaves no openings in his attacks. Enhanced Agility: Despite his more laid-back attitude, Ryoga is an immensely agile fighter. In battle, he can effectively use his agility to use the battlefield to his advantage, jumping from wall to wall to keep his opponents unsure of his attack patterns. Offensively, his agility grants him great dexterity in battle, able to attack his opponent from various angles with great accuracy and force. Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: Ryoga is masterful in swordsmanship, usually only employing his Zanpakutō when he really needs to. It is told he has banned himself from using his Shikai unless he really needs to. Master Strategist & Tactician: As Commander of the Secret Mobile Corps and Captain of the 2nd Division, Ryoga has shown himself to be a capable leader. Ryoga has shown an innate skill to determine what actions should be taken in battle. The tactics he employs are based on subterfuge and confusion. He has shown to be adept in putting his opponents into a false sense of security and allowing them to underestimate his abilities. Kidō Expert: As captain of the 2nd Division and the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Ryoga is well-versed in a mastery of Kidō. Though he commonly employs Shunpo and hand-to-hand fighting techniques, he is masterful in using Kidō to further his capacity in combat - being so experienced he is able to mix it with other fighting techniques. he has been shown using mid-level binding and destruction spells with no incantation with expert skill. *'Shunkō:' An advanced technique that combines hand-to-hand combat with Kidō. He fights by surrounding hir back and arms with pressurized Kidō. The keisen uniform has no back or sleeves since they will rip apart when it is activated. The technique can allow him to instantly neutralize an opponent's movement, apart from enhancing their arms and legs for battle. The Kidō itself can also be controlled and fired at opponents from his body, and can be used to create massive explosions. *'Hanki:' This technique is an ability Ryoga uses during Shunkō, which nullifies an opponent's Kidō by hitting it with a Kidō of perfectly opposite speed and energy. The ability can even neutralize an opponent's movements. 'Zanpakuto'[http://thesoulsociety.wikia.com/index.php?title=Asura_Mishima&action=edit&section=6 ' '] Tamashī No Kougou (魂皇后; Soul Empress): It it's sealed form, Tamashī No Kougo resembles a Katana in black. It is one of the few female Zanpaktous. Shikai: Triggered by the release command, "Strike All Souls" (ストライクオールソウルズ', Sutoraikuōrusouruzu) When released a immense burst of reiatsu will flow in all directions, possibly causing fainting, or even death in some cases. The Katana emits a white glow, and then transforms into a longer katana known as the Masamune, in black. Shikai Special Ability: '''In this form Ryoga can easily attack the 'soul' of one. Causing severe damage, and pain. In some cases the damage done to the soul can be permanent. '''Soul Phase (Tamashī no fēzu): Ryogas Masamune will begin to create a white glow. In this state, Ryoga can attack the soul. Soul Phase is able to stay on, and act as a passive until Ryoga decides to release it. Cutting Soul (Tamashī o sessaku): Ryoga fires compressed reiatsu at the enemy. If Soul Phase is activated while Ryoga performs this, it is able to target the opponents soul. Bankai: '''Tamashī no hason (''魂の破損', Corruption of the Soul '') In this form Ryoga sword diminishes. Leaving him with just hand to hand skills. Slight electricity can be seen around him. (Similar to when sayians go SSJ2) '''Bankai Special Ability: As the Masamune diminishes, Ryoga relies on hand to hand combat. In this state Ryogas speed, power, all five senses, and spiritual power increase dramatically. He is also able to attack the 'soul' of one still. This puts a lot of strain on Ryoga. Thus, he does not like to use it for long periods of time. Using his bankai combined with Shunkō is very lethal to him, and his opponents. The strain increase times two, but in return in grants tremendous power. It is very rare for Ryoga to use the this combination. Soul Purge (Sourupāji): This move allows Ryoga to drive his own reiatsu directly into an opponent's body through a physical strike on them. This can cause strong direct and internal damage, it is even capable of damaging someone who is being protected by Bakudō. It is easily capable of temporarily disabling anyone with less spiritual power than a captain. This is currently the only known moves anyone in Soul Society has seen.